Snail Cream for Flat Warts

Flat warts are small, pinhead-sized warts that, as their name suggests, have flat tops. They’re most often a similar colour to the skin, appearing pink, light brown or yellow, and have a much smoother feeling when touched than other types of wart.

They commonly appear on the face, forehead, neck, arms and hands, where as many as a hundred can be found clustered together in each location.

Causes

Flat warts are caused a by a virus, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) of which there are more than 100 different strains. The strains that most commonly cause flat warts are strains 3, 10, 28 and 49.

As with most viruses, they thrive in warm, moist conditions, which is why they’re attracted to skin and mucosal surfaces. Once they’ve found a suitable place to invade the skins epidermis, they then grow, develop and proliferate, which in some cases can make them somewhat difficult to get rid of.

HPV is a highly contagious virus that is transmitted primarily through person-to-person contact and is estimated to infect approximately 75% of people.

Symptoms

It can take up to a year for flat warts to grow to a size where they become visible, making it common that people don’t know they have them until sometime after the original infection or flare up. They’re typically flesh coloured or white, are raised slightly above the skin, and are flat-topped and smooth to touch.

Flat warts are found most often on the hands, face and areas that are frequently shaved, such as men’s faces and women’s legs. They typically appear in multiples, with instances of a single flat wart appearing being extremely rare. Most warts aren’t painful and aren’t dangerous, being benign, but can be embarrassing due to their unsightly nature.